Evergreen Issues: Marine Heat Waves, Scott Pruitt in Hot Water and A Question that Fuels the Gender Wage Gap

Every Tuesday we bring you issues that impact you as an outdoor loving woman. Whether it has to do with climate change or female empowerment, we scour the internet, including government bills, social media and local and national news, and deliver it to you – so you know.

1. Ocean Heat Waves Change the Great Barrier Reef

A recent study conducted by more than a dozen scientists says ocean heat waves could have changed the Great Barrier Reef forever but not for good. In an article about the study, The Scientific American says, “Not only has the reef suffered extensive die-offs, but the types of corals that remain are different and less diverse than they were before.”

The marine heatwave occurred of the coasts of Australia in 2016. The study tracked the ocean temperature and found a critical temperature at which the heat spurred mass bleaching.

However scientists are not completely hopeless about the future of the Great Barrier reef, saying:

“That coral reefs throughout the tropics will continue to degrade over the current century until climate change stabilizes allowing remnant populations to reorganize…”

…and speaking of hot water…

2. Whistleblower says EPA Chief Lied to Congress

EPA Chief, Scott Pruitt, is currently under multiple investigations by the EPA’s attorney general, especially regarding Pruitt’s spending patterns. In an exclusive interview with ABC News, former deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski spoke out about his time working for Pruitt. He said he was forced out and targeted because he spoke out against certain financial decisions.

Members of Congress questioned Pruitt about whether or not staff members who disagreed with him were targeted and Pruitt said they were not. Chmielewski says:

3. Some States Ban Employers From Asking About Salary History

It’s a question some say fuels the gender pay gap: what’s your salary history?Anyone who has applied to jobs knows the question well and might even feel that twinge of discomfort answering it.

A female math teacher has sparked the change in California law after she found out her male counterparts were making more money than her for similar jobs. Her employer said it was because they had made more previously.